# What would you do if you found out you'd murdered your children? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 27, 2006, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-found-out-youd-murdered-your-children/366192 "2006-07-27T01:38:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2006, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-found-out-youd-murdered-your-children/366192/21 "2006-07-27T17:26:59Z")
[QUOTE=trublmakr] Oh, yes, I realize that. I feel that postpartum psychosis is a valid diagnosis, and I don’t hold her responsible. Quite the opposite- I have defended her to people that don’t see it that way. But regardless of whether I blamed myself or not, I just don’t see living after that. That scenario is completely out of my tragedy-scope. [/QUOTE] Ditto here. I could not live with that knowledge. I’m not sure I could survive losing my only child to _any_ kind of early demise, but to know that it was by my hand? Take me fucking _out_. I simply couldn’t deal with it. ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2006, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-found-out-youd-murdered-your-children/366192/22 "2006-07-27T17:29:45Z")
I think I would maybe want to kill myself but I would feel obligated to live to try to make amends somehow. Like starting a foundation or charity to help other people in the same situation or to prevent it from happening again. I would try to find a way to have something good come out of the tragedy, if only for my own sanity. It would ruin my life but I don’t think I could kill myself, if only for the sake of the rest of my family who no doubt is already grief-stricken. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2006, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-found-out-youd-murdered-your-children/366192/23 "2006-07-27T17:33:07Z")
[QUOTE=guizot] I personally would like to know more about postpartem psychosis. As a man, never having born children, I would very much like to know what this experience is like. Is it a physiological thing? Or a psychological thing? When does it start? [/QUOTE] Most women don’t know anything about it either. It starts almost immediately after the birth of the baby, and I think it is a hormonal clusterfuck (to use a technical term) that causes it. I’m sure someone with M.D. after their name can clarify that. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2006, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-found-out-youd-murdered-your-children/366192/24 "2006-07-27T18:41:42Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Modwar! Place your bets! 😃 [/QUOTE] Well, _shrug_ _I_ thought it would make a good debate. I blame the posters. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2006, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-found-out-youd-murdered-your-children/366192/25 "2006-07-27T18:53:45Z")
[QUOTE=Velma] I think I would maybe want to kill myself but I would feel obligated to live to try to make amends somehow. Like starting a foundation or charity to help other people in the same situation or to prevent it from happening again. I would try to find a way to have something good come out of the tragedy, if only for my own sanity. [/QUOTE] This gets my vote, in a situation like Yates’. Causing a death accidentally, while in your “right mind”, is a whole other thing. I’d feel guilty, even though it was an accident, but I’d do whatever I could to get over it, including making amends. Ending your life means you’ll never have a chance to do good. Who knows when you might have an opportunity to **save** a life, or simply bring joy to someone? ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2006, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-found-out-youd-murdered-your-children/366192/26 "2006-07-27T18:57:07Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] I would not choose to live with the guilt of killing my children. [/QUOTE] Hm, that almost makes me want to change my vote. If I believe that death is oblivion (which I mostly do) then I would inflict the most pain on myself by staying alive. And because I believe that murderers (and I would consider my actions to be murder even if caused by accident or insanity, that’s just the way my mind rolls) should receive the highest amount of pain it would be my duty to stay alive and miserable. I still don’t know what the right thing is, though. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2006, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-found-out-youd-murdered-your-children/366192/27 "2006-07-27T23:54:06Z")
I would wonder when the hell I had children without knowing it. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-found-out-youd-murdered-your-children/366192/28 "2006-07-31T20:00:31Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] [One of my favourite semi-related threads](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=289696&page=1&pp=50), with post #38 (by pravnik) being a highlight. [/QUOTE] Why, thank you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-found-out-youd-murdered-your-children/366192/29 "2006-07-31T20:42:51Z")
First off I would try to figure out how I managed to have any children in the first place! To answer more seriously, if it were say my SO…I honestly don’t know. Something tells me I’d be so tormented by nightmares and other things that it would take over my life and I’d probably end up taking my own life as well. I don’t think I could go on knowing I had killed him, even if I didn’t remember doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-found-out-youd-murdered-your-children/366192/30 "2006-08-03T18:07:17Z")
[QUOTE=trublmakr] … it was argued that her husband was neglectful as he knew she was at risk and did nothing. [/QUOTE] Well, he obviously did _something_, since they had more kids. Seriously, suicide would look like a very appealing option if I learned I’d killed my kids in a fit of madness. It would be such an overwhelming, appalling, disheartening realization that I think I’d find it very hard to live with. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-found-out-youd-murdered-your-children/366192/31 "2006-08-03T18:34:49Z")
Perform Twelve Labors for the Gods. Worked for Hercules: [http://www.uwm.edu/Course/mythology/0900/herakles.htm](http://www.uwm.edu/Course/mythology/0900/herakles.htm) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-found-out-youd-murdered-your-children/366192.md?page=1)